CCP
CCP Files Motion in Colorado Case
By Sarah LeeALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Center for Competitive Politics’ (CCP) legal team filed a motion for preliminary injunction late last night on behalf of a Colorado group, Coalition for Secular Government (CSG). CCP asks that a federal judge in Colorado enjoin Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler refrain from forcing CSG to register as an “issue committee” until their constitutional claims can be heard. Otherwise, CSG will be unable to speak until a potentially lengthy litigation has run its course.
Media Watch: Mother Jones’ Andy Kroll on The Reformers Strike Back
By Joe TrotterCCP and proponents of free political speech have not lost their momentum. Quite the contrary; we continue to change the debate by offering a side of the campaign finance argument that reformers would prefer to ignore. If anything, the momentum to protect the First Amendments has increased in speed and intensity since the Citizens United decision of 2010. And we have no plan to slow down.
Independent groups
Wall Street Journal: Controversial Ad Tops Online Charts
By Tim HanrahanA pro-Barack Obama super PAC’s controversial ad surged to the top of the online charts last week, outstripping a slew of other new spots, according to data from Visible Measures.
The Hill: AFL-CIO-affiliated super-PAC launches ad campaigns in Nevada, Ohio
By Alexandra Jaffe
An AFL-CIO-affiliated super-PAC is launching ads in Nevada and Ohio attacking GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney and his newly minted running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), on Medicare and Romney’s time at Bain.
The Hill: Obama super-PAC ad is rare backfire
By Niall StanageThe ongoing furor over a TV ad by a pro-Obama super-PAC that implies GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was to blame for the death of a former steelworker’s wife is a rare example of a political commercial that backfires.
NPR: Melons, Squash, Cash: A Million-Dollar Donor Sprouts
By JOEL ROSEGoldman also thinks Citizens United should be overturned, but says she’s a realist: “We haven’t been able to turn back Citizens United. We have to cope with the new reality. At least to my mind, the two superPACs I’ve donated to can be an enormous force for good. I see it as a public education campaign.”
Candidates and parties
Politico: DNC chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz: I know Priorities is Democratic
By Katie GluekDemocratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz acknowledged on Monday that she knew where a major liberal super PAC’s political sympathies lay, a day after she said she had “no idea” where Priorities USA Action stood.
Washington Examiner: Shocking lobbyist ties and falsehoods of the VP candidate
By Tim CarneyWhile we’re vetting running mates, it’s worth going over some of Joe Biden’s past that got crowded out four years ago amid media fawning about him as a charming Joe Sixpack.
NY Times: Ryan Has Kept Close Ties to Wealthy Donors on the Right
By Nicholas ConfessoreThis month, as a handful of Republicans auditioned at town halls and on bus tours to be Mitt Romney’s running mate, Representative Paul D. Ryan joined a private conference call. For 20 minutes, he walked through his plan to cut government spending and bashed President Obama for weakening welfare work requirements.
Washington Post: Paul Ryan donations from a now-convicted Wis. businessman could draw fire
By Jerry MarkonDemocrats have wasted little time blasting Republican vice presidential pick Paul Ryan over his federal budget plan, but a more obscure part of his record could also draw attention: his relationship with a convicted Wisconsin businessman.
Wall Street Journal: The Ryan Standard
By Allysia FinleyIt’s hard to tell how and whether the Ryan veep selection will influence the outcome of today’s GOP Senate primary in Wisconsin. But given the race’s tightness, any movement along the margins could turn the race to any three of the major candidates.
